Government to axe 27 factories for the disabled
THE Government has confirmed the closure of 27 factories employing disabled workers, saying the loss-making sites could not be subsidised any longer.
The Minister for disabled people, Maria Miller, was heckled by opposition MPs as she told the House of Commons the £320m budget for disabled employment services could be spent more effectively. She also announced a further consultation on the future of nine other Remploy factories which have been the subject of bids. Union sources said the 27 factories will close between August and mid-December.
Workers at Remploy’s factories are due to stage two 24-hour strikes in the coming weeks in protest at the Government’s announcement in March that 36 of the 54 factories were at risk, putting more than 1,700 jobs under threat. The factories were established 66 years ago as part of the creation of the welfare state.